Research Overview

Dr. Glenn's research focuses on the development and prediction of suicidal and self-injurious behaviors.

The primary goal of Dr. Glenn’s research is to advance understanding of the psychological processes that lead to suicidal and self-injurious behaviors and the ability to predict which individuals are at greatest risk for self-harm. Given that suicidal and self-injurious behaviors have their initial onset during adolescence, and rates increase drastically during this developmental period, her research program is primarily focused on the development, prediction, and ultimate prevention of these behaviors in youth. Her research uses a multimodal approach to examine the complex interplay among risk factors across self-report, behavioral, psychophysiological, and neurobiological units of analysis, in both cross-sectional and prospective designs. Studies in her lab aim to address the following key research questions:

Why do individuals engage in behaviors that are intentionally harmful to themselves?

Why does risk for suicide and self-injury increase so drastically during the transition from childhood to adolescence?

How does nonsuicidal self-injury confer risk for suicidal behavior?

How can we better predict when individuals are most at risk of acting on their suicidal and self-injurious thoughts?